Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1887-06-06
THE SEA SERPENT.
Adirondack Murray Solves It with the
Aid OF Good Field Glass.

Aid OF "a Good Field Glass.
w. II. II. Murray has solved the sea
serpent mystery of Lake Champlain, and
his solution will perhaps apply to many
along shore mysteries of the same sort.
He writes as follows
Going to my front door last Friday
morning / found many people, with more
or less excitement, looking at the lake.
| asked a teamster opposite my door what
was the cause of it. He replied that the
sea serpent was in the bay. / said:
Have you seen himy He replied that
he had and that it had only just sunk
from view, and would soon probably
reappear. The words were hardly uttered
before he pointed frantically toward the
lake, and said: There he Isl There nc isp
and sure enough right in front Of me, not
two miles away, the lake being scarcely
rippled, the air clear as plate glass, be-
held the sea serpent, and 1 must say that
the spectacle was truly most startling
one. In my wanderings | have CHANGED
to see some strange things and had cause
to note some of the deceits that nature'can
practice on the senses, but am free to
say that l never saw on land or sea an ap-
pearance more startling than / saw in
Burlington bay in front of my house last
Friday morning. The appearance has
been many times described with fair
degree of accuracy. In length the serpent
seemed at.least 100 feet longer than canal
boat would at that distance Its color
was at times of slaty brown, and at
others it seemed to be glistening white
like the scales of a shad. It's motion was
undulatory, and kind Of quivering its
whole length characterized it. 1t moved
with astonishing rapidity toward the
north, and when it was showing the full
length of its appearance it sank from
sight
'sThis is plain account of the sea SER
pent as saw it. The deceit was perfect
The coolest observer and the most skepti-
cal would have been perfectly convinced
that his eyes had beheld marine mon
ster. / have field glass of great value
and, thinking that the serpent would APP
pear again, stepped quickly to where it
hangs in the hall and adjusted the lenses
for the distance. A ladyis hand at the
acquired range would show its fingers
plainly. The first thought of incredulity,
as | stood gazing at it before ! took my
glass, arose from the fact of the exceeding
rapidity with which it was moving. No
body, | said to myself, could ever
move through the water as fast as that
thing was going. / had hardly reached
the street, There he is! There he is
again! and, sure enough, there was the
serpent once more, white and shiny. NOV
ing with immense rapidity, with the same
peculiar vibrating motion. l brought my
glass to bear upon il instantly, and the
mystery was that instant solved The
immense sea monster resolved itself into
several hundreds of small birds of the
plover family, flying in long line, which
swung down and to the right or left as
they flew. The under side of their wings
and breasts was snowy white; their backs
were slaty brown. When in the
long or short curyings Of their fight,
they were flying at such an angle as re-
CARDS the gaZer that the under side Of
their wings and breasts were seen, the
serpent, long and white, appeared When
they took some slant at another angle,
and their backs and upper side of their
wings were turned toward the gazer, the
white line faded out and the monster
seemed to sink from view. The quiver-
ing and vibrating motions of the monster
were thus explained. The quick futter
Of their little wings, in long line ex-
tended, the gradual swoop up and down
in their fight, made the appearance per-
feet. The immense speed of the serpent
was accounted for, his motion being the
motion of quick winged birds cleaving the
air, and not Of an aquatic monster rush
ing through the water.
THAT this true account and perfect
solution of the Champlain sea serpent the
public may believe, for had not only the
opportunity TO see one sea serpent that
morning, but / saw three at the same in
slant; one rounding Bluff Point, one
about mile out heading to join it, and
another north Of Juniper Island; and so /
speak with the certainty of one " no knows
whereof he afluns. But the appearance
is most deoeitful ono, and with the I'M
assisted eye its real nature cannot be dis
cerned .